Tods Aerospace Selected as Finalist for Composites UK “Innovation in Materials” Award
YEOVIL, UK (PRWEB UK) 17 October 2017 -- Tods Aerospace, a Unitech Aerospace company and leader in advanced composite materials technologies, announced today that they have been selected as a finalist for the 2017 Composites UK “Innovation in Materials” Award. Tods Aerospace’s submission is titled “Development Of Static Dissipating Glass Fibre Composites; Applications For Fuel System Components In Aerospace.”
The award submission details a new materials solution for the dissipation of electrostatic charge in composite structures. This innovation was developed specifically to overcome the limitations of current state-of-the-art products available in the market and is tailored for composite applications in commercial and military aircraft fuel systems. The resulting technology comes from an industry collaboration between Tods Aerospace and Technical Fibre Products (TFP).
“Electrostatic dissipation is a requirement for nearly all glass-based composite materials used in fuel systems for modern composite-wing aircraft,” said Sean Cooper, Materials and Manufacturing Development Manager for Tods Aerospace.
“Low-level electrical conductivities are required to prevent a build-up of static charge in the structure and prevent the propagation of electrical effects through the fuel system during an external lightning strike. This process of electrostatic management is an absolute necessity to ensure the safe operation of the aircraft.”
The newly developed material is compatible with aerospace qualified composite prepreg and provides high levels of sheet resistance (~0.1 to 5 MΩ/Square) on a normally ‘insulating’ glass fibre based composite structure. The material is porous so it can be fully wetted by a prepreg resin system and is flexible so it can be incorporated either into the composite surface or placed inter-ply throughout the thickness of a complex composite layup.
Tods Aerospace is currently undergoing further developments to design and manufacture specific composite fuel system components and assemblies which incorporate this new and innovative technology.
The Innovation Award nominees will be showcasing their work at an open forum presentation session at the Advanced Engineering Show in Birmingham, UK on 1st November and the winners will be announced at the Industry Awards Dinner that evening. For more information on the event, visit:
https://compositesuk.co.uk/events/industry-awards-dinner-2017 ;
About Tods Aerospace
Tods Aerospace specializes in advanced composite materials technology for aerospace applications. The Yeovil, UK based team enhances the performance of vital defence systems, aircraft interiors and air transport equipment worldwide through design, engineering and manufacturing. Tods Aerospace is a Unitech Aerospace Company.
About Unitech Aerospace
Unitech Aerospace provides the aerospace, marine, medical, defense, nuclear and rail industries with composite and metallic structures and components that meet demanding and complex requirements. The company’s growing global footprint is currently comprised of strategically located sites providing local and immediate support to customers. Integrated solutions range from early stage design, rate production, to full-term sustainment making Unitech Aerospace the industry’s trusted lifecycle partner.
About Technical Fibre Products:
Technical Fibre Products (TFP) is a leading nonwoven manufacturer, offering a broad choice of high quality, technically advanced nonwovens for an array of challenging applications across industries ranging from aerospace and defence to automotive, energy, industrial, construction and healthcare. TFP is part of James Cropper plc and continues the group's 171 year tradition of building highly effective collaborative relationships with customers, enabling the development of custom material solutions to meet unique performance, process and aesthetic requirements.
Meredith Williams, Unitech Aerospace, http://www.unitech-aerospace.com, +1 405.492.2754, [email protected]
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